Suzhou.....

On Saturday, we took a trip to Suzhou, which is about an hour and a half to the east of Shanghai. It is much like Shanghai, but on a smaller scale, with an older and newer side to the city. It is suppose to be one of the best places to shop for pearls, and is known for its beautiful gardens as well.

We arrived at about 1:00pm and went to a pearl shop that was recommended to us by our driver's best friend. These markets are interesting. They are usually large, two or more story buildings, with little shops all around the edges. This particular building also had tables set up all throughout the middle, every one of them covered in strings of pearls. Each one of the tables and shops represents an individual seller, and the only way to have any clue which to go to, is to use a recommendation from someone who has been there, or knows someone there. That is not saying they are any better than anyone else either, only that whoever went there was happy with their purchase, and didn't feel that they got ripped off.

Brennan and Carleigh made friends with the owner's granddaughter, and enjoyed playing with her while we were there. She seemed to want to help Carleigh find a nice necklace in the shop, and then they burned energy running around pillars in the large open space outside the store. This sweet little girl took a particular liking to Brennan, and did not want to leave his side. He is very good with small children, and it was very cute!

After leaving the pearl market, we went to lunch at a local hotel across the street. It was closed for the break between lunch and dinner, but the pearl store owner had the connection, and we had a great Chinese lunch in an empty restaurant (Mr. Tao, our driver, was with us of course.)

Our stomachs full, we headed over to a famous garden called "The Garden of the Master of the Net." It is well-known for its beauty and harmony, and has been partially reproduced in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (the picture below is the building that has been recreated).

The road to the entrance was apparently under construction, and I knew we were finally used to China, when we walked down this road without blinking an eye. Although, the mere site of this mess kept Ethan in the car with Mr. Tao, as he decided that we could risk it on our own!

The garden was every bit as beautiful as I had hoped, and I am glad we took the time to go. After an hour at the garden (it is the smallest garden there) we headed back to Shanghai.

Love to all!

P.S. We have cancelled our trip to Saipan as a result of rumors of dirty beaches and water. We are now looking at taking a night or two close to home, as there are other places we can visit within driving distance.